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Restaurants
in Caithness.

It’s 01:40 in Caithness.
Caithness

Fish from the harbour, beef from the farm.

Eating out in Caithness is about good local food without any fuss. There's a seafood restaurant in an old ice house on the harbour at Scrabster, and a family farm near Wick serving its own Highland beef. In Wick, a hotel bistro has its door on the world's shortest street. On the River Thurso, an old fishing hotel serves dinner in style. Book ahead in summer, when the North Coast 500 is busy.

Castletown Chip Shop→
Ulbster Arms Hotel→
No 1 Bistro→
The Galley, Scrabster→
Restaurant of the dayJust now

Puldagon Farm Shop.

A family farm near Wick with a farm shop and a restaurant, serving its own Highland beef, lamb and pork, farmed by the family since 1925.

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From our guideJust now

No 1 Bistro.

Part of Mackays Hotel in Wick, this is an enjoyable lunch spot with an emphasis on Scottish produce and a menu that incorporates everything from pan-fried Orkney scallops or mushroom ravioli to pulled beef mac and cheese. Suppliers include Caithness Smokehouse and Scrabster Seafoods.

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Somewhere to eatJust now

Ulbster Arms Hotel, Caithness.

A four-star hotel on the banks of the River Thurso at Halkirk, a fishing hotel with a panelled lounge, a bar and a restaurant, a short drive from Thurso and the Orkney ferry.

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AfterwardsJust nowCaithnessDunnet Beach1.7 milesCaithnessSurfing in Caithness2.6 milesCaithnessThe View, Thurso4.6 miles

Round the corner from Castletown Chip Shop.

The three good places closest to it: Dunnet Beach, Surfing in Caithness and The View, Thurso.

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From the magazineJust nowThe printed copy of Issue 06Issue 06Spring / Summer 2023

The wood-panelled Lounge Bar of the Ulbster Arms Hotel, at Halkirk in Caithness, has an original carved fireplace that came from a Dutch galleon.

The hotel is a 19th-century bolthole on the banks of the River Thurso, and it is heavy with tradition, with log fires, premium double rooms and its own restaurant. The magazine warns that once you are in, you may find it hard to drag yourself away from the Lounge Bar, fireplace and all. Outside lies Caithness, the far-flung north-eastern corner of the mainland, where the rocks, moors and hills have an elemental rawness and Orkney lies just off the coast. After a day out on that windswept coast, a log fire is a welcome sight.

See Ulbster Arms Hotel · Caithness
From our guideJust now

Bord de l’Eau.

Daniel Chretien hails from the southwest of France but can now be found at the helm of Gallic restaurant Bord de l’Eau, a bread roll’s throw from the River Wick. Traditional French cuisine is the order of the day, so expect everything from terrines, soups and pan-fried frogs’ legs to hand-picked red wines.

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RestaurantsJust now

The Galley, Scrabster.

A seafood restaurant in an old ice house on the harbour at Scrabster, cooking fish landed at the port, with a vaulted stone dining room.

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From the magazineJust nowThe printed copy of Issue 06Issue 06Spring / Summer 2023

Daniel Chretien, a chef from the south-west of France, cooks traditional French food at Bord de l'Eau, a restaurant beside the River Wick in Caithness.

His Gallic restaurant stands a bread roll's throw from the river in Wick, and its name is French for the water's edge. Traditional French cuisine is the order of the day, so expect everything from terrines and soups to pan-fried frogs' legs, with hand-picked red wines to go with them. It is a long way from the south-west of France to Wick, one of the two small towns where most of Caithness's 25,000 people live. This far-flung corner of the mainland can feel closer in spirit to Orkney and Shetland than to the rest of the country.

Photograph: Ana Marrie on Google MapsSee Bord de l'Eau · Caithness

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